I love a dark fantasy romance so this book really excited me and the fantastic characters kept me hooked.

n Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kaylie Smith for providing me with an ARC of Phantasma! I was absolutely enthralled with this dark gothic romantasy book filled with ghosts, devils, necromancers, and a deadly game that takes you through the circles of hell.

I really enjoyed following Ophelia, partly because she is not the most likable character, but as the book goes on, you really get invested in her story and her success. I found the romance to be super steamy, and the mystery to be a fun one to unravel.

If you are a fan of Caraval, KOTW, and ACOTAR, I think you will have a lot of fun with this one!

4.5 stars. Imagine Caraval by Stephanie Garber, but instead of YA, it’s for a mature audience. It has a gothic theme with trials, magic, phantoms, and demons. The stakes are high, verging on horror instead of fantasy, and the spice is next level. I was slow falling into the book, but after a quarter of the way through I couldn’t put it down. Sleep was lost, and it was worth so it.

A step away from my normal paranormal/fantasy type books. This was a darker romance with a Gothic vibe.

Take a family who make their living dealing with death magic, add in a murdered mother, a financial struggle and a mysterious but very dangerous game. One with a prize worth risking everything for. When Ophelia's sister enters the game ahead of her, Ophelia feels the need to go in after her and save her from herself (and the game).

Necromancers, deals with devils in disguise, Phantoms, secrets and amnesia like memory lapses all combine into a fantastic fantasy romance. Who can you trust in a haunted mansion when anyone could be out to get you? Who do you make a protection pact with?

I loved the world building and the FMC dealing with OCD so thoughtfully handled and really helps to tie the entire storyline together. This was definitely darker than my usual reads and there was plenty of danger and unaliving but it wasn't a straight-forward horror like story either.

Blackwell was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome with a mind with more holes than Swiss cheese! He exuded "Who did this to you" vibes and you're never really sure where he stands - he does take morally grey and runs with it!

Spicy without being over the top and a great paced romance.

Well having the hots for a ghost was not what I saw happening but I’ve been attracted to stranger so here we are 😂 this book was so good I don’t even know where to start. It’s described as caraval meets kingdom of the wicked and I got both vibes at the start, that dark witchy vibe, entering a game, sisterly love, it’s all there!! But once the game begins this is a story that stand on its own, it’s so much darker and sexier than I expected. I love the characters within phantasma, they were well thought out and described with interesting and sometimes spooky devils and ghosts. I loved Blackwell, his teasing had me giggling and kicking my feet. I adored Ophelia as an FMC, she was strong, she was fair and she took no crap. I also loved how her OCD and anxiety was portrayed, I have never suffered with OCD but the anxiety resonated with me so it was not surprising that the author based the rep on her own experience. Very well done. All in all I loved it and I can’t wait for more

Thank you to netgalley and second sky books for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review

Holy shit! I absolutely could not put this down. What an incredible ride this was, and I still haven't stopped thinking about it. Definitely had a lot of hand-wringing, nail-biting moments.

When Ophelia and her sister Genevieve find the mother dead in their living room, Ophelia, being the eldest, inherits the family magic and, along with it, the responsibility of carrying their family legacy. But when they learn of the debt their mother was in, her sister enters Phantasma—a game that is held in a cursed manor all over the world and has been scheduled to come to New Orleans next in order to win it and clear the debt. Ophelia has no choice but to take part in it herself to save her sister.

The game contains nine levels, inspired by the nine circles of hell. The person to clear all levels and win the contest gets to have their one wish granted. Here she meets Blackwell, who makes a bargain with her to help her with the levels of the game to find her sister, in return asking her to help him look for something he needs to find within the manor.


The plot was really well paced and will keep you at the edge of your seat right till the very end. The gothic setting of Phantasma was so captivating and enthralling that you can't help but get lost in it. The curiosity to learn more about these characters, the mystery they're trying to solve, the different levels of the game, and the manor and its many secrets. I loved the concept of the nine levels of the game being inspired by the nine circles of hell. Things kept getting more intense and dangerous as they cleared more levels, and the idea and hints of every challenge were so spectacularly done. The group of people partaking in the contest were diverse, which heightened the whole experience. There were devils too, each one wicked in their own way, trying to get them to make deals.

Ophelia Grimm was an absolute delight. Firstly, I loved the fact that she was tall because I'm tall and so tired of reading about FMCs who are tiny. She was a force to be reckoned with. I loved how badass she was, not having a care in the world about what others thought of her, calling people out when needed. She was so brave, never backing away from anything the game, manor, devils, or contestants threw at her, facing every challenge head-on even as things kept getting more gruesome with each level. Though she didn't spend her time trying to form friendships or bonds in Phantasma, she definitely had to question her morals, what she was willing to do, and how far she was willing to go with each level. These conflicts were well portrayed. Being sheltered the way she had, taking part in Phantasma really made her find herself in the most unexpected place and situation. Her struggles with OCD were very well woven into her character, and it was definitely well explored when it came to the game itself and how that was something the manor used as a pushback in her challenges. With this, Ophelia not only had to fight other contestants but also her own mind that was working against her.

As Ophelia tries to find clues about her sister, she unearths some secrets and shocking revelations about her family that make her question if she truly ever knew them as well as she thought she had, leaving her feeling confused and betrayed. She starts wondering if all that she had been taught to follow was really the truth.

Blackwell had me smitten right from their first encounter. He was mysterious, charming, sexy, mischievous, flirty, sarcastic, and just loved to mess with Ophelia. There was so much that was unknown about him due to his situation, and it only made the story more compelling as the plot unfolded. I loved how he was always there to help Ophelia, even before she made the bargain. He was so protective of her and took care of her after every level in whatever way she needed him to. Watching him slowly fall for Ophelia was so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, given the curse and their limited time with each other. My heart definitely ached for how lonely and hopeless he had felt for so long, and Ophelia was the first one to truly want to know him.

When it comes to the relationship between Ophelia and Blackwell, it felt natural and effortless for them to get comfortable with each other from the first moment. Though Ophelia had her reservations about trusting a Phantom given all the teachings from her mother, she couldn't help finding her way to him each time. Their constant bickering and banter was amazing, giving way to flirting, which made me smile a lot. They made a pretty great team, helping each other out in their quests. However, they also feel a sense of rightness, a pull towards each other that neither could explain. This leads to their relationship going from just their bargain to gradually developing much deeper feelings. Knowing the rule about not falling in love in Phantasma, they fought really hard against these feelings. They were both willing to do whatever it took for the sake of the other, which was just so beautiful and heartwarming.

The growing tension between Ophelia and Blackwell and all the close proximity led to some amazing smut, and damnnn the skills of that phantom, dirty talking being just one of them. The way he teased and worshiped her body was something.

The game, mystery, romance, and everything about this book were all well placed, timed, and executed.

Thank you, Kaylie Smith and Netgalley, for providing me with the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This was a great book! Gothic fantasy with forbidden love and deadly competition inspired by the Nine Circles of Hell....this caught my attention and kept me invested until the end. I loved this unique Phantom and Necromancer romance taking place in a haunted mansion in New Orleans, a swoon worthy MMC, fantastic banter, a FMC with OCD, forced proximity with spice. Loved it! Would definitely recommend.

I received this ebook from NetGalley, paperback from publisher and the audiobook from NetGalley.
So I listened to the audiobook for the first half and really enjoyed the narrator. Then read the ebook for the last half while looking at the beautiful cover of the paperback.
It says it is part of a series but it felt like a standalone.
Ophelia and her sister just lost their mother and then found out about a large debt on their house. Ophelia has also inherited her mother's powers. Then her sister goes missing when she decides to enter Phantasma to pay off the debt. Ophelia goes and learns if she wants to see her sister then she has to compete in everything that is put her way. It is kind of like Hunger Games and the rule is not to fall n love.
Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for all the copies to review,

I can't decide if I want to give this 3 or 3.5 so I'm going with 3.5 now. I had some nitpicky comments while reading but now that I'm done it was such a wild ride and cool story. I feel like usually I have the reserve experience so I'm not 100% sure what my feeling and rating for this is. I had problems with the pacing and depth of the characters, mainly the love interest. I wanted more from Blackwell but I also understand why there wasn't. The concept of Phantasma was really cool. Smith tied together multiple different story lines and tropes and I commend her for attempting this. I can't wait for the next book. The next love interest is a devil with multiple siblings so perhaps this will be an expansive series? I'm hoping so!

I loved the concept and story. I LOVED the OCD representation, I've never read a book where the main character had OCD. I love seeing disability, disorder and chronic illness representation in books, especially fantasy. We rarely see this representation in fantasy because it would slow the character down. I liked how Ophelia's challenges weren't with magic or Phantasma levels it was really with OCD. The Shadow Voice was a good way to bring a fantasy twist on it.

I liked the idea of the characters but I think they all could have been more fleshed out. I wasn't a fan of the insta love and I would have liked to see their romance developing more. It felt a bit unequal because we couldn't see Blackwell's side and he wasn't totally himself. The ending also felt very rushed but maybe the loose ends will be tied up next book? I'm super excited to see these characters again in the sequel and for Genevieve's story.

I love the gothic setting and phantasmagoria. I appreciate how the death game was done. There wasn't necessary death in every level so the shock factor didn't wear out. It was also gory. I did get a bit confused about the levels but I'm not sure if I was reading too fast. I was unsure how the other contestants were passing the levels faster than Ophelia who had Blackwell to help her. I also couldn't figure them out, was Ophelia not smart? Was she not noticing things and therefore not describing it so that I could figure it out? Honestly if Ophelia wasn't smart enough, I do like that because she would be realistic but the plot wasn't bogged down because Blackwell helped speed it through.

Thank you to Second Sky Books, Forever and Netgalley for the eARC.

This was your typical romantasy number, nothing really special in terms of romance, but I did really enjoy the setting. I did however have a viscerally negative reaction to the cover however, which is probably why I took so long to finish. All in all, it was fun but nothing revolutionary!

EDIT: After fully processing, I am taking a star away because the fact she didn't really do anything drove me crazy. MCs always have a get out of jail card in romantasy, but it was a little too much in this one.

Come with me as I step far outside my comfort zone into a world of dark romantasy filled with demons of every kind where a sheltered necromancer battles for her life while searching for her missing sister. Oh, my, what an intense and satisfying adventure this was!

Set in spooky, sultry New Orleans, PHANTASMA is a non-stop thrill ride with surprises in every chapter. Ophelia enters a contest (Phantasma) where there can only be one winner and the price of losing is death. The contestants must complete challenges based on the nine circles of hell. Along the way she meets Blackwell, a morally gray, but charming stranger who offers to help her in exchange for a very steep price. In Phantasma the only thing more dangerous than the deadly challenges is falling in love.

Kaylie Smith has written a heart pounding dark fantasy with an interesting premise and plenty of spice. This is a perfect read (or listen) for those who like their romance hot as the weather cools down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Second Sky/Forever for the opportunity to review an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Phantasma is more than just a book to me, it feels more like a friend. It feels more like Smith managed to take a little bit of my soul, a little bit of my heart, a little bit of me is wrapped me up in this book.

You see I have OCD. Somedays it feels like I AM my OCD. It is a demon, a devil, a monster, the bane of my existence — god, I’ve got so many awful words for it, but it is, unfortunately, my companion. I somehow exist with it on the daily. And in this book I got to see someone else exist with it too. OCD isn’t a one size fits all — it comes in many forms, so no one representation will be fully accurate but damn it was startling how similar mine and Ophelia’s was — the knocking???? Oh my god. Yes. That’s me. (Hilariously though, I have to have even numbers. Everything even. I like 4s, 6s, 8s, 12s specifically. Whereas Ophelia liked odd numbers). And Ophelia’s reason for knocking was the same as mine. It was like a gut punch. It was like being hit with a bolt of lightning. I just felt so god damn recognised with all the emotion surrounding the routines — the compulsion to do it, the anger at having to do it, the frustration, the fear, the worry, the relief, the anger and frustration at giving in, the exhaustion…

Just…thank you Kaylie Smith for this. OCD can be so isolating, so dehumanising and so humiliating that I just felt such a kinship with Ophelia. I loved the conversations she had with Blackwell and how he never tried to fix her, never tried to out logic her, never made fun of her, just loved her through it and listened to her.

I loved the whole book from the representation of OCD to the setting to the plot. I freaking loved Blackwell, he was so sassy and devious and AHHH I AM GOING TO START FANGIRLING AS I REMEMBER CERTAIN SCENES. RASCALS!!!! AND I LOVE IT!!!!

The romance between Blackwell and Ophelia was definitely my favourite thing and I’m sat here grinning and blushing remembering all their scenes and it’s made me forget what else I wanted to write about because I just have them on the brain.

The trials were exciting, tense and high stakes and I thought well paced. I liked the setting of the House with the different hauntings too. I liked Genevieve a lot and I am excited we will be getting a sequel with her, I thought she was hilarious with Blackwell and I can’t wait to see what trouble she goes and stirs up.

4.5⭐️ rounded up — I think the ending was a bit hasty and I’m a bit confused on how they wormed their way out of the final obstacle.

Loved loved loved loved this book.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky/Forever for the ARC! I went into this book kind of blind, purposefully not reading much about it since romances tend to be predictable plotwise. While there wasn't any big surprise along the way, from the start I caught myself delighted by the witchy, gothic vibe — exactly what I was craving. Phantasma is a atmospheric read for fans of fantasy romance, particularly those who enjoy morally grey stories, forbidden love, and the thrill of a deadly game, with a dash of mystery and spice.

Honestly? I discovered this book on Netgalley and mostly got it because the cover looks insanely intriguing and the title reminds me of friends of mine who have a costume design company called Phantasma. Of course, I also partly got it because the book promised me Caraval meets Throne of the Fallen. I'm very happy that Second Sky granted me a review copy and once I started I realized getting this review copy was one of the best things to happen to me this year.

This book was everything I had hoped it would be and then a lot more. It already started with the book being set in New Orleans. Although we're wandering through New Orleans for only a short while, the author does manage to bring the city to life. And although the haunted mansion travels through the world, I think there's no better place for this story, and this haunted mansion, then the city of New Orleans, where everything is possible.

Just like everything is possible in the Haunted Mansion. Just like in Caraval it's hard to know for sure what's part of the games and what's real. I like how not only the characters get slightly paranoid, but we too. Who can we trust? What horrors are being thrown at our heroine next? Can we trust the sexy and charming Blackwell? And has Genevieve really entered the games or will Ophelia never find her again? Will she survive in the first place?

Although there's a lot going on in this book, it never feels overwhelming, it never feels like one element overshadows the other and it never feels like things are either rushed or stretched out. There is more than enough delicious romance, there is a lot of danger, the trials are actually lethal and terrifying, the stakes are insanely high and then there is this bigger mystery that eventually leads to a wonderful finale.

I can't wait for my physical copy to arrive!

This Gothic Paranormal Romance guarantees to keeps you enthralled until the very last page. A perfect read for the spooky season!

It has gore, humor & wickedly handsome paranormal beings. The banter was extremely good and the games freakishly thrilling and exhilarating. The suspense, horrors and mysteries had me on the edge of my booknook.

Highly enjoyed the New Orleans gothic setting and the way we get to navigate through these deadly games, from the clever riddles to the savage levels and everything in between.

I received this book as an eARC courtesy of NetGalley. Thank you SO MUCH for the review opportunity!

- deadly competition in the circles of hell
- riddles and mystery, intrigue and deadly consequences
- gothic ghost story romance
- gory and rich storytelling
- AMAZING pacing
- grumpy and fierce, necromancer FMC
- ghostly, charismatic and seductive MMC
- THRILLING, JUICY AND DELISH SPICE
- cute ghost cat
- devils, specters, necromancers, magic, ghouls, poltergeists
- ANGST and FORBIDDEN LOVE
- SMEX ON A BLOODY BED

I FINISHED THIS IS 24 HOURS. I didn’t stop reading, because I literally COULD NOT stop myself, it’s just that good! This is one of my favorite reads of the entire year, I cannot recommend it highly enough!!
Set in New Orleans, the creepy, gothic setting is just perfection. Phantasma is a deadly competition, one that promises to grant anything you desire, should you win, but the price to enter could be your life and sanity. Ophelia decides to join to save her sister- her selflessness setting her apart from the other competitors. The magic she inherited gives her the ability to see the dead, alongside an unlikely upbringing that prepares her (somewhat) for the journey through the levels of hell - meeting devils, making blood oaths, escaping bloody ghouls, and encountering a devastatingly handsome Phantom. The competition does not allow the contestants to fall in love, or they face dire consequences, but with him invading her senses, helping her to survive, and making her feel seen for the first time in her life, she can’t help it as her heart falls for him. FORBIDDEN LOVE?? SMEX IN A BLOODY BED? LIKE SAY LESS.

Mix horror, fantasy, and spicy romance. Add intriguing characters and a well done world building.
Seasone with hot spices (don't ask as I'm the queen of finding-book-sex-boring).
The results is a very entertaining and gripping novel that kept me hooked.
Can't wait for the next one
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I received an arc from NetGalley.

Phantasma is a spooky good time. If your imagination is anything like mine, get ready to be creeped out!

A big shout out and thank you to the publisher and The Nerd Fam for providing me with a complimentary copy of Phantasma in exchange for an honest review!

When I saw the cover for Phantasma I just had to read the blurb; and once I’d read the blurb, I could not imagine a reality where I wouldn’t choose to read this book. Yes, I agree the theme itself isn’t new; competitions with high stakes and fight-to-die situations are now a popular style. However, there will always be a theme every decade or so that takes the industry by storm and my favourite observation to make during this period is seeing how many different ways this one theme can manifest. Phantasma is one such book that can stand on its own; that’s filled with intrigue, paranormal beings and emotional politics.

The world-building in Phantasma is two fold. One, of the normal world that the MC’s lives in and the other, the paranormal world that the MC is thrust into. The former is set in an imaginary world of a historical nature and the latter in an imaginary world of the mystical nature. The historical reality in the book doesn’t need too much introduction (since we as readers are fairly familiar with it) and the author does a swift and neat job of laying down the necessary details in the first few chapters. The mystical reality, however, requires a different approach and Smith did a lovely job of creating a general outline of the world for us before filling in the details slowly and throughout the whole book. There’s a paranormal beings breakdown/hierarchy map in the beginning of the book that’s super helpful and the author only goes on to expand on the information in the story.

The plot is pretty straightforward, as mentioned in the blurb. However there are many sub-plots that occupy various aspects of the book that add a lot of complexity to the story. To name a few: there’s an emotional sub-plot that arcs throughout the book, there’s a mental health related sub-plot and then a psychological aspect (with regard to the morals and ethics of doing something). Then of course all of this is braided into the main plot of the story and resolved together. It was many themes strung together and instead of discordant notes, we hear crystal clear chords of beautiful music.

The representation. *takes a deep breath* I cannot explain how much I loved the OCD representation. I think most people make assumptions of what OCD is, but I cannot explain how real the intrusive thoughts of someone struggling are and what they are really like. The idea that something bad will happen if you do not follow a certain routine, follow a certain schedule or practice is a real real representation of what intrusive thoughts can be like. The kind of normal I felt while reading this is … 🤌🏻✨. I also loved that the author doesn’t alter the importance of this representation by treating it as a plot ploy.

The writing holds the perfect tenor for the nature of this story. Phantasma is a dark read, with dangerous allies and disastrous consequences. The author has done a fantastic job with her storytelling, ensuring that every aspect of the book is well handled with just the right amount of space and importance. Everything that can have weight, does. The writing isn’t flowery, but dark, emotional, deep, painful and a ride of a mind-mess. I sunk straight into it and didn’t surface ’til the very end. I will agree that I had predicted a large plot point and it came true, however the other smaller points that are equally vital to the book remained a mystery!

The characters in Phantasma are extremely complex and add layers of detail, tension and plot purpose to the story. The story reads primarily in the FMC, Ophelia’s perspective (in third person) and as I’ve mentioned a million times before single POV is my favourite and I enjoyed being in the FMC’s mind with all her burdens, bravery, thoughts and emotions. There are many secondary and tertiary characters in this story and they’re all fleshed out just right and just enough to fulfil their roles and add lots of complexity to nearly every aspect of the story: emotional, social, intrigue etc.

The pace in this book made me notice something I’m officially nicknaming as The Reverse Progress Conundrum. The Reverse Progress Conundrum is essentially where I notice myself feeling like the percentage bar in my Kindle wasn’t evenly matched to my internal perception of how much I’ve read (which was much higher than the page mark). This then begins to reverse, as I progress further into the book, where I feel the percentage bar is moving much faster than I thought I was reading. Phantasma followed that pattern for me; the first perhaps 20% I felt every page turn, because it was a new world, new characters and of course lots of new emotions. Pretty much after that I can’t recall how I read or when I finished.

The book is an easy five star read for me! I definitely recommend Phantasma if you’re looking for mystery, mansions of nightmare, deals with Devils and romance! Please check content warnings, the book has themes that can be triggering for some.

Happy reading! Phantasma by Kaylie Smith releases the third of September and will be available for free for all KU subscribers!

You guys…this book just dethroned my favorite book of all time! I do not take that lightly, nor do I ever change what my favorite book is, so you are probably going to hear me compare so many books to this going forwards!!!

Only good things from me in this review, so let’s dive in to what I liked!

1. A Necromancer in New Orleans?? Does it get cooler or more gothic than that???

When her mother died unexpectedly, Ophelia became the oldest Grimm family member and the one who would have to decide if she wanted to inherit the powers of the family or let the magic die.

She was torn between not wanting the responsibility and being afraid that she could potentially mess up everything, but she was also very satisfied every time she performed something correctly proving her trainings were not in vain. This perfectionism and almost imposter syndrome part of her personality made her so freaking relatable to me!!

2. Speaking of Ophelia and how relatable she was to me, the OCD REP was fantastic!!!

For as long as she could remember, the voice had been there, in the darkest corners of her mind, telling her to walk through certain doorways or her entire family would perish. Making her knock incessantly on doors to buy a moment of silence with her own thoughts.


As someone who lives with this exact form of OCD, this was so refreshing to see, especially in a FMC. Kaylie’s ability to show the thoughts going through Ophelia’s mind and show Ophelia knowing the thoughts are preposterous but still having to give into them to appease the voice in her head encapsulates the first 25 years of my life to a freaking tee! This sensitive and often triggering topic was handled beautifully and carefully.

“I’m just trying to satisfy the voice long enough to get a break from having to listen to every single sin I’ve ever committed on repeat.”

- Girl, same!

3. I really loved the worldbuilding that went into this story. The different levels of Phantasma, the different deadly things lurking about, and how the game worked overall from a strategy standpoint, it was all incredibly intriguing but not overwhelming!

The game of Phantasma: the ticket price is your greatest fear; in order to win you have to be the last alive or still competing through all 9 levels of hell; you win one devil’s bargain. Most importantly, don’t fall in love.

There are 9 levels to Phantasma, each representing one of the nine circles of hell (lust, greed, etc.). These different levels ran by different demonic creatures kept it interesting and the pace was kept fresh by the changes. However, I also didn’t find the levels to be distracting from the overall plot and relationship of the characters, which was great.

Speaking of which, I loved the side quest of trying to help Blackwell find the key and escape his servitude in Phantasma. This quickly became the most intriguing part to me, because, well, Blackwell.

4. Speaking of Blackwell, he was so freaking dreamy!

He was sarcastic but flirty, polished yet would fight anyone who disrespected Ophelia, and he seemed to totally understand when she needed time to herself and when she needed an accomplice when it came to her swirling dark thoughts and OCD.

Despite them having a flirty and snarky back and forth (which I loved!), he had such a way of making her feel elevated and confident just the way she was instead of imperfect and reaching.

Also, he calls her angel *swooooon*

5. I’m not saying it was because of Blackwell, (although, his passion for Ophelia just the way she was didn’t hurt) but I loved how Ophelia became more confident with herself in time:

“I am not your angel, but I will be your nightmare. If you sabotage my chance of getting my sister back, I will find a way to haunt you until every single one of your inner demons looks like me. You will never know a moment of peace again.”

- DAAAMN GIRL!! GET EM’!

“You’re going to burn in fucking Hell one day,” he spat.

“And you’re going to fade into obscurity now,” she told him. “Soon enough, not a single soul will remember your name. You’ve made no lasting mark on this world. I know which fate I’d rather have between the two.”

- QUEENNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!

6. The spice!!! There were plenty of scenes and descriptions to keep this girl happy! Edging, Biting, “Good girl”, Praise, “Eyes on me”, ALL THE DIRTY TALK!!! It was marvelous 😍

7. The writing style was beyond beautiful. The words and how they blended together to create an almost Alice in Wonderland, whimsical yet mysterious tone is my absolute favorite style and they worked so well for this story with its many mysteries and WTF moments.

8. The fight and competition scenes were exquisite! I felt like I was competing and fighting right alongside her.

9. Didn’t see the (multiple) twists coming exactly how they played out. I didn’t see several coming at all!

10. So many good lines! (Shocker to absolutely no one, most of these are Blackwell) (Due to formatting and length, the quotes have been removed from here but are available on Goodreads and Wordpress.

So yeah, I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!

And this just in! There will be a second book in the series coming in April 2025!!!! I can’t wait to get my hands on this. I would k!ll for this….like seriously.

Thank you to NetGalley, Second Sky/Forever, and Kaylie Smith for the opportunity to read a copy of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.